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2013 in review: CIA celebrates a groundbreaking year

Construction began -- and progressed rapidly -- on new Gund building and new residence hall in Uptown District

Calendar year 2013 was groundbreaking for the Cleveland Institute of Art in more ways than one. The college broke ground for the new building that will unify the CIA campus for the first time in more than a quarter century; construction began – and progressed steadily – on the building that will house CIA’s new residence hall; students and faculty won numerous awards; and, in its ongoing effort to attract qualified international students, CIA entered an affiliation agreement with the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing to accept some of China’s top art students.

“We made tremendous progress this year toward creating a world-class living and learning environment for CIA students in this vibrant, walkable neighborhood,” said CIA President Grafton Nunes. “Our facilities will soon be as compelling for prospective students as our academic programs have long been. The future looks very bright.”

In June, a ceremonial groundbreaking drew more than 250 friends of CIA to the building site immediately west of CIA’s current Joseph McCullough Center for the Visual Arts on Euclid Avenue. The new building – which will be adjoined to the McCullough building – will be named for George Gund II in recognition of $10 million in combined giving from his family and the foundation that bears his name to help fund the campus project. Gund served as CIA board chair from 1942-1966.

Speakers at the festive event included representatives of the three largest donors to the capital campaign that is funding the project: Geoffrey Gund represented the Gund family and foundation; philanthropic advisor Jennifer Frutchy represented the late Peter B. Lewis, who made a $5 million grant; and Ellen Stirn Mavec, president of The Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation, represented this foundation which has made $4 million in grants.

Major gifts to the campus project announced during 2013 include $1 million from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and $1 million from Dr. Sally and John Schulze.

Site work began in the fall and the building is expected to be complete by early 2015. Panzica Construction Company is the general contractor.

Work began early in 2013 on Uptown Phase II, the building that will include a new CIA residence hall. Designed by San Francisco architect Stanley Saitowitz, the six-story building will house CIA freshmen and will open for fall 2014 semester. Each suite will house four students in two rooms connected by a shared workspace outfitted specifically for art students. The building – being developed by MRN Ltd. as part of the Uptown District of residential units, retail establishments and restaurants – is at the corner of Euclid Avenue and Ford Drive, opposite the new MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) Cleveland.

Other highlights of 2013 include:

CIA was named one of the best colleges in the Midwest – and was one of only two colleges of art and design to achieve this designation – by The Princeton Review, an education services company widely known for its test preparation programs and college and graduate school guides. “I'm very proud that, out of hundreds of colleges in the Midwest, CIA is included among the best by The Princeton Review,” said Nunes.

Five alumni and three current faculty members were among 47 artists statewide to receive Individual Excellence Awards from the Ohio Arts Council. Each received $5,000 to support their “growth and development and recognize their work in Ohio and beyond.” Alumni winners were painters Judy Takacs ’86 and Susan Danko ’98; glass artist Michael Mikula ’87; photographer and multimedia artist Lori Kella ’97; and sculptor and installation artist Scott Stibich ’10. Faculty winners were Bruce Checefsky, a photographer and experimental filmmaker who is an instructor and director of CIA’s Reinberger Galleries; Mary Jo Toles, professor of photography and digital imaging; and Mari Hulick, associate professor of graphic design.

Biomedical Art majors Erika Woodrum ’14 and Carolyne O'Ryan ’13 won awards of merit at the Association of Medical Illustrators Conference in Salt Lake City in July. A majority of the students they competed against were graduate students of medical illustration, said Thomas Nowaki, interim chair of the Biomedical Art Department.

Cole Mishler ’13, an Industrial Design major, won third place and $1,000 in the 20th annual International Housewares Association’s Student Design Competition. Mishler’s design was selected from 256 entries submitted by students at 26 colleges in the United States, Germany and Uruguay.

Associate Professor Douglas Paige ’82 was honored by the Cleveland-based Alliance for Water Future in recognition of his work on a CIA student-led project to improve the water quality of the Cuyahoga River. The Alliance presented Paige, who teaches in the Industrial Design Department, with a Water Quality Innovation Award at the Burning River Fest, an annual environmental education event that commemorates the 1969 burning of the Cuyahoga River.

852 high school students representing over 265 schools submitted entries to CIA’s first 2D3D National Art & Design Competition. Winners from Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas were awarded cash prizes and thousands of dollars in scholarship offers.

Checefsky won a Judson Smart Living Award in the arts category in honor of his contributions to the cultural vitality of Cleveland’s University Circle. President Nunes nominated him for the award.

The Culture Trip, which boasts that it showcases “the best of art, culture and travel for every country,” chose to highlight Cleveland and named CIA’s Reinberger Galleries as one of the 10 best art galleries in the city.

On behalf of CIA, Nunes accepted the Icon Award for “unwavering support of the HIV-AIDS community” from the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland. The nonprofit, in partnership with CIA, annually holds a highly successful ArtCares art auction.

Renowned illustrator and designer David Lee Csicsko ’80 inspired graduating seniors when he gave an address at commencement, recounting how a one-time firing opened important doors for his career, making it clear that failure was a necessary step on the path of success.

This fall, 28 upperclassmen and a CIA Student Life staff member moved into freshly renovated apartments in Euclid 115, a recently renovated building directly across Euclid Avenue from the McCullough center. Owned by Berusch Development Partners LLC, Euclid 115 will house a total of 77 CIA students by fall 2014, when additional units will be ready. A French bakery recently opened on the ground floor.

While these developments, and many others, buoyed CIA during 2013, the CIA community also mourned the loss of numerous alumni, friends, and former faculty. Among them were long-time supporter and Cinematheque co-founder George Gund III; Professor Emeritus John Paul Miller ’40; his classmate, the painter Joseph O’Sickey ’40; long-serving CIA board member Bill Joseph; and the largest individual benefactor to CIA’s capital campaign, Peter B. Lewis.